First, it was David Robinson; next, it was Tim Duncan; now, it will probably be 7-4 Frenchman Victor Wembanyama.
On Tuesday night, the Spurs got some more luck as they won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago
The Spurs will have the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft; the draft will take place on June 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
For the third time in franchise history, San Antonio holds the top overall pick, with the previous two being Hall of Fame big men Robinson in 1987 and Duncan in 1997, who helped the Spurs start their NBA record 22-year Playoff streak from 1998-2019.
“The team and the city that sticks with us and put so much effort and love into the organization, it’s just amazing for them to get rewarded,” said Spurs Managing Partner Peter J. Holt immediately following the Lottery. “So many folks have been with us a long time, and now everybody can feel rewarded and excited. My joy was a ‘we’ type of fun and joy.”
Going into tonight’s lottery, the Spurs(22-60) held a 14.0% chance to land the No. 1 pick. Since the Draft Lottery was introduced in 1985, San Antonio has owned seven total lottery picks, the fewest in the NBA.
Gregg Popovich could get another star big man and a player the Spurs could build around for years to come.
Happy times in San Antonio!
Below are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2023:
1. San Antonio
2. Charlotte
3. Portland
4. Houston
5. Detroit
6. Orlando
7. Indiana
8. Washington
9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Orlando (from Chicago)
12. Oklahoma City
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans
Below is the order for the remainder of the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft:
15. Atlanta
16. Utah (from Minnesota)
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
22. Brooklyn
23. Portland (from New York)
24. Sacramento
25. Memphis
26. Indiana (from Cleveland)
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City)
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn)
29. Indiana (from Boston)
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)
Note: The draft order above assumes that a team with the right to swap one pick for another exercises such right only if it is favorable to do so.
Below is the order for the second round:
31. Detroit
32. Indiana (from Houston)
33. San Antonio
34. Charlotte (from Charlotte via Philadelphia and Atlanta)
35. Boston (from Portland via Atlanta, LA Clippers, Detroit, and Cleveland)
36. Orlando
37. Oklahoma City (from Washington via New Orleans)
38. Sacramento (from Indiana)
39. Charlotte (from Utah via New York)
40. Denver (from Dallas via Oklahoma City)
41. Charlotte (from Oklahoma City via New York and Boston)
42. Washington (from Chicago via Los Angeles Lakers and Washington)
43. Portland (from Atlanta)
44. San Antonio (from Toronto)
45. Memphis (from Minnesota)
46. Atlanta (from New Orleans)
47. Los Angeles Lakers
48. LA Clippers
49. Cleveland (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans)
50. Oklahoma City (from Miami via Boston, Memphis, and Dallas)
51. Brooklyn
52. Phoenix
53. Minnesota (from New York via Charlotte)
54. Sacramento
55. Indiana (from Cleveland via Milwaukee and Detroit)
56. Memphis
— Chicago (from Denver via Cleveland; forfeited by Chicago)
— Philadelphia (forfeited)
57. Washington (from Boston via Charlotte)
58. Milwaukee
